Banjo



(No Model.)

H. J. ISBELL.

BANJO.

No. 577,036. Patented Feb. 16, 1897.-

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UNITED STATES- HARRY J. ISBELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BANJO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 1? atent No. 577,036, dated February 16, 1897.

Application filed December 10, 1896, Serial No. 615,193. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY J ISBELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Banjos; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to banjos and analogous musical instruments, and has for its obj ect to simplify and improve the construction of such articles and to dispense with a great many of the parts which at present go to make up a complete banjo of modern construction. By means of the improved construction a bettcrtone and a greater volume of sound are obtained, as will be made apparent in the course of the ensuing description.

To this end the invention consists in an improved banjo embodying certain novel features and details of construction,as described, illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a banjo constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the head of the banjo. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the cap or cover which closes the back of the head.

Similar numerals designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The improved banjo contemplated in this invention com prises the usual rim 1 and neck 2. The rim 1 may be composed either of wood or metal, oracombination of both, as maybe desired, and is covered with the usual head or sounding-board 2, which is stretched over the rim by means of the circular hoop 3, which is drawn down by means of a plurality of bolts 4 in the ordinary manner. The back of the rim is closed by means of a disk-shaped cover 01' cap 5, which is provided with a peripheral circular flange 6, embracing snugly the rim 1. Projecting radially from the edge of said flange 6 are cars or brackets 7, perforated to receive the bolts 4, which pass through said ears or brackets and are secured by means of the nuts 8, similar to an ordinary banjo. The upper ends of said bolts are hooked at 9 to engage over the top edge of the hook 3, by means of which the head 2 is stretched over the rim 1. The cover or cap 5 may be composed either of metal or of wood and metal combined and serves to intensify the sounding qualities of the banjo and also to regulate the tone thereof, according to the material of which the cap or cover is composed and the thickness thereof. The rim 1, between the flange 6 and hook 3, is provided wit-ha plurality of sound-apertures 10.

By means of the construction above doserbed the tone and volume of banjos are not only improved, but the rim is greatly strengthened, as the strain caused by the tightening of the bolts 4 is distributed equally at all points around the rim. It will also be seen that the labor of setting up or assembling the parts of the banjo is greatly facilitated, as the peforated ears 7, which are cast integral with the cap or cover 5, take the place of the usual brackets, which have to be separately secured to the rim.

If desired, the ears or brackets 7 may be in the form of a continuous circumferential flange surrounding the head of the banjo. It will be also understood that the improvements above described are susceptible of changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction, which may accordingly be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In abanjo, the combination with the rim, of a cap or cover for closing the back of the rim, said cover conforming in size and shape to the rim and being provided with a peripheral circular flange which embraces said rim, and is provided at its edge with radially-projecting ears having openings for the reception of the head-tightening bolts, substan tially as described.

2. In abanjo, the combination with the rim, provided at intervals with sound-openings as described, of a cap or cover closing the back of the rim and provided with a peripheral circular flange embracing the bottom edge of the rim and provided at its edge with a plurality of radially-disposed ears or integral brackets havingopenings I'or l he reeeption oi the head tightening bolts, substantially as described.

In a banjo, the combination. with the banjo-rim provided at intervals with soundopenings as described, of a head or soundingboard stretched across the upper portion of the rim, a hoop for stretching said head, a cap or cover closing the bottom of the rim and proi'ided with a peripheral flange embracing said rim and provided at its edge with radially-disposed rigid ears halving openings, and a series of head-tightening bolts provided at,

one end. with hooks for engaging said hoop E and having their opposite ends extended through said ears and threaded to receive the tighteningmuts all arranged S1Il,)Si7Iilijllll Y as described.

In testimony whereof I have siened this speeiiieation. in the presence of two snhserihin g Wit-1169568.

HARRY .l'. ISllllLll.

\Vitnesses:

(-. Il. .iLiRiiLET'I, II. 'D. HEUER. 

